Direction indicator



Jan. .3, I939.

v. M. LYLE 2,142,905

DTRECTION INDICATOR Original File d Sept.- 10, 1936 2 Sheets-Sheet l lllllll'qn awe M144 V. M. LYLE Jan. 3, 1939.

DIRECTION INDICATOR Original Filed Sept. 10, 1936 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 lllll Momma;

Patented Jan. 3, 1939 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE DIRECTION INDICATOR Application September 10, 1936, Serial No. 100,197 Renewed September 12, 1938 2 Claims.

2 110 as a.=signal or Warning-to 13W enforcement officers that the car has 1 been. stolen.

The more specific. objects and advantages will become apparent from a consideration of the descriptionfollowing taken in connection with aclicompanying drawings illustrating an operative embodiment.

In said drawings:-- Figure 1 is aview showi-ng theparts-in diagram;

-20 Figure 2 is a rear elevation of the direction indicator;

nFigure 3 is aside elevationthereof;

*Figure 4 is an enlarged vertical sectional vieW taken through the direction indicator at a right 25 angle to Figure 3;

l 'igurev 5 is a longitudinal sectional view taken on the line 55-of Figure 4, and

Figure 6 isa horizontal sectional viewv taken .on the line 6-6 of Figure 4.

..30 ,Referring'specifically to the drawings wherein like reference characters designate like or similar parts, a suitable casing is provided as at l0 adapted for connection in any desired manner at the rear of an automobile or self-propelled 35 vehicle. The casing may be of an appropriate shape and size and preferably has its rear Wall ll hinged to the remainder of the casing as at [2, on a vertical axis to permit opening and closing for acess to the interior or operating parts.

Adjacent the top, casing 10 has compartments at I3 and M, partitioned from each other as at E5 and each containing an electric signaling lamp l6 and I1. Across the compartments [3 and M, the wall or panel II respectively, has open letters or 5 the like at l8 and I9, spelling Start and Back up, or such letters may be delineated upon a panel which is transparent or translucent.

The casing [0 also has suitable chambers wherein a tail lamp 20, a stop lamp 2|, and an arm- 5 illuminating lamp 22 are located. The tail lamp is adapted to illuminate a red glass panel 23 in the panel or closure l l the stop lamp 2 I, which is normally extinguished, is adapted to illuminate a red or other panel 24, preferably of glass, on 55 which the word Stop may be delineated at 25.

battery 3| and lamp I'l.

Said lamp 22 is adapted to illuminate thecasing adjacent direction indicating arms 26 and 21, the light rays being emitted laterally through glass or other Windows 28 and 29 on the casing.

The lamps referred to are all located in as; suitable electric circuit at 30, one side of which is grounded, and which circuit is energized by a storage battery or the equivalent 3|.

Said'lamps 20 and 22, that is the tail lamp and the illuminating lamp for the arm 26, are en-aqo ergized through the closing of an electric switch 32 in said circuit 30.

The closing of the circuit through the start and back up lamps l6 and I1, respectively, is controlled by an arm or bracket 33, carried rigidly on;.; 115

the gear shift lever 34 of the automobile, being the conventional type. The gear shift leveris moved into low position, which closes contact 35,

to close a circuit through the battery 3l-whileif such gear shift lever is moved into reverse it closesjsi20 the contact 36 and thus a circuit through-the The contacts 35 and 36 arenormally out of closed electric circuits.

The arms 26 and 2'! are adapted to be moved from a vertical position at rest as in Figures 2;;25 and 4, to a horizontal position as suggested. in dotted lines in Figure 2, to indicate the direction of turning, through the movement ,of the steering mechanism of the automobile. To this end,,.the steering wheel ofthe automobile is diagram- 3 matically suggested at 38 being rigid with the turnable steering post 39 on the lower end of which a gear wheel or pinion 46 is keyed. Said pinion is enmeshed with an intermediate gear or pinion 4 l, journaled on a stub shaft 42 carried by 35 an auxiliary support 43. Said support 43 also journals a gear or pinion 44 which is connected to a flexible shaft or cable 45 which leads to and is connected detachably to a rigid shaft 56 suitably journaled at 41 to parts on the casing I0. 40 Rigid with said element or rockshaft 46 is a gear 48, being keyed thereto and also fastened by means of screw threads and a nut 49 engaging the same. The gear member 48 has opposite racks or segments at 50 which are toothed at 5| 5 and enmeshed with pinio-ns or gear teeth 52 rigid with the indicator arms 26 and 21, which latter are journaled or pivoted as at 53 and 54 in brackets 55 rigid on the casing Ill.

Thus it will be seen that when the steering 5 Wheel 38 is operated and the automobile turns to the right, the arm 25 Will be moved to a horizontal position to indicate the intended turn while if the vehicle turns to the left, the arm 21 will be elevated to indicate the direction of turning. 55

The arms return to normal or depending position by gravity when the steering assumes a straight ahead position.

The stop light is suitably arranged in the circuit at 2| so as to illuminate the sign 24-25, upon stopping or when the brake is applied, through the actuation of the brake pedal in the conventional manner and which is suggested at a.

Another feature of the invention concerns the mounting of the license tag or plate. Such a license tag of conventional form is shown at 56, detachably carried by a plate or holder 51, in turn having arms 58 on opposite sides of the casing IO joined by an arm 59 extending through and across the casing l0 and through a suitable key-control locking mechanism at 65. Such holder 51 and plate are normally and operatively in a substantially vertical position and illuminated from the lamp 29 through a transparent glass panel 6|. Within the casing I0 is a contractile coil spring 82 fastened as at 63 to a crank on the arm 59 and at 64 to a bracket on the casing and tending to swing the holder 5'! and license plate to the raised position shown in dotted lines in Figure 3. Normally the action of the spring 62 is overcome through the engagement of a pawl 65 pivoted at 65 in the casing and engaged with a ratchet or toothed element 61 rigid on the shaft 59.

In the normal position, one of the arms 58 abuts a stop at 68 to prevent undue rearward movement of the holder.

The latch or pawl 65 is under control of a draw cable or element 69 which is connected thereto and suitably trained for its movement as at 10 and at its free end provided with a handle 1| located adjacent the dashboard of the automobile.

When the operator of the automobile is about to leave the same, as a protective measure, he pulls the handle ll, thereby releasing the latch 65 against the tension of the spring 12, and releasing the ratchet 61, the spring 62 thus being free to urge and move the holder 51 to the dotted line position of Figure 3. In moving to such position, coacting means, not specifically shown, between the lock and arm 59, lock the holder 57 in the dotted line or elevated position of Figure 3. In this condition, should an unauthorized person attempt to operate the automobile, law enforcement oflicers will observe the lack of a license plate and realize that the car.

has been stolen or is being operated without authority. In fact, the rear surface of any surface of the holder 51 which is exposed in the dotted line position of Figure 3 may have information delineated thereon to the effect that the car is stolen or used without authority. The operator carries a key to the lock 60 and preparatory to resuming driving, he uses the key in the lock 60 to release the holder 51 which he moves downwardly by hand to the normal position, the latch automatically engaging the ratchet 61. It will be noted that the spring 12 normally urges the latch 65 into engagement with the ratchet member 61 and that such spring is mounted by a bracket 73 attached to the lock 60.

Various changes may be resorted to provided they fall within the spirit and scope of the invention.

I claim as my invention:-

1. A direction indicator of the class described having a pair of indicating arms, a mounting, shafts on said mounting on which the arms are pivoted, a gear member on said mounting having teeth, teeth on said arms enmeshed with said gear member teeth, gearing means operable through the steering of an automobile including a flexible shaft connected to the gear member, said flexible shaft through its connection with the gearing means and gear member serving when operated to move the arms to retracted position and to turn the arms one at a time through rotation of the steering wheel in opposite directions from normal straight line position of the front wheels of an automobile.

2. A direction indicator of the class described having a pair of indicating arms, a mounting,

shafts on said mounting on which the arms are pivoted, a gear member on said mounting having teeth, teeth on said arms enmeshed with said gear member teeth, gearing means operable through the steering of an automobile, and a flexible shaft operated by the gearing means and connected to the gear member, a rigid shaft journaled on the casing and carrying said gear memher, and a detachable connection between said rigid shaft and said flexible shaft.

VENT MORGAN LYLE. 

